The Press at the Palace of the Governors invites the public to celebrate the resilience of spirit in a special evening of limericks with poet Stuart Hall at 6 pm on Friday, June 1, in the Meem Community Room. The event is free, and guests will receive a keepsake of one of Hall’s limericks printed at the Palace Press. Seating is limited.
Hall, an accomplished writer, also lives with severe short-term memory impairment. Wishing to be recognized for his craft rather than his disability, he demonstrates that people with memory impairment are no less human and can be no less creative or gifted.
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“Memory is at the core of our mission as a museum,” said Tom Leech, director of the Palace Press. “Too often, those afflicted with dementia and other forms of memory impairment, including Alzheimer’s disease, are marginalized by society. As public awareness grows and more light is shed on dementia, museums worldwide are increasingly devoting programming and services to individuals and families who must deal with the loss of memory.”
More than 35 million people worldwide have dementia according to the 2009 World Alzheimer’s Report from Alzheimer’s disease International. International studies make it clear that dementia occurs in every country. It affects 1 in 20 people over the age of 65 and 1 in 5 over the age of 80. According to the report, dementia prevalence will nearly double every 20 years, to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050.
Stuart Hall holds a BA in English literature and a library degree from the University of Southern California. Before his retirement, he was a science reference librarian at San Francisco State University, where he also taught courses in biology, ethnic studies and interdisciplinary arts. His writing reflects interests in natural history, animal behavior, literature, and travel. He is a member of the New Mexico State Poetry Society and has read at the Alzheimer’s Café.
A sample of his work:
My mind's not at all a blank slate,
Though I cannot keep track of the date
Or the day of the week,
And facts play hide-and-seek,
For my mind to be blank would be great.
Instead it is wired like spaghetti;
It conflates the important and petty;
The connections of things
Are like tangles of strings
Or like celebratory confetti.
Phone number for publication: 505-476-5200
